4,000 Year Old Jewelry Discovered on Egyptian Mummy

This jewelry was worn 4,000 years ago by an ancient Egyptian woman that archaeologists have nicknamed "The Lady of the Jewels."  The mummy and jewels were discovered by Spanish archaeologists on the west bank of the Nile river in southern Egypt.

The mummy, believed to be an aristocrat in her 30's, was found wearing a gold-plated necklace inlaid with lapis lazuli, a shell-shaped golden pendant, two silver ankle bracelets and two golden wrist bracelets.

The find was made in the temple of Pharaoh Thutmosis III (1490 - 1436 BC).  The temple itself had been discovered and looted in ancient times.  However, the chamber in which the mummy was found had collapsed before the ancient looting, burying the sealed sarcophagus under a large boulder.

Thutmosis III ruled for 40 years during a prosperous time of Egypt's history.  The excavation, restoration and conservation of his temple began in 2008 and is scheduled to end in 2015.